Aug. 1: Meant to showcase India as a world class sporting venue, the Commonwealth Games could end up being an unforgettable embarrassment for the country given the shoddy build-up which has turned Delhi into a giant construction site.
Tons and tons of rubble are piled on pavements as civic agencies race against time to finish the so-called beautification drive, while the Games’ venues present an equally grim picture of unkept promises.
It’s the biggest sporting event to come to India after the 1982 Asian Games but the preparations have been shockingly lax with little over two months left. But the Organising Committee and its chairman Suresh Kalmadi have not missed any opportunity to insist that everything would be on time.
Already behind schedule, the construction woes have been further compounded by monsoon. The Talkatora Stadium, Karni Singh Shooting Range and Yamuna Sports Complex have a look of unpreparedness despite being inaugurated by no less then Sports Minister M.S. Gill. The Talkatora Stadium, renamed as S.P. Mukherjee complex has loose tiles and grills, scattered iron rods, unfinished staircases and rubble outside the gates remind of India's failure to meet construction deadlines which were revised several times.
Labourers are working no-stop to get things done at the venue, built at a cost of Rs 175 crore. The flooring of the passage into the area, is in a mess with tiles lying broken. The dressing room of athletes looks more like a storage room with the ceiling missing, and pipes and cables lying unattended above it. As for the Karni Singh Shooting Range at Kadarpur, a few spells of rain had left the area in a dilapidated state.
Finally, the Yamuna Sports Complex, the main competition venue for Table Tennis and Archery events in Vivek Vihar. Work is still on in the main stadium. The false ceiling of the complex had collapsed on July 13 and workers can be seen repairing the roof.
One thing common at all the three venues was media ban. Security was tight and officials concerned with the stadiums were the only ones allowed in.